First attempt SV New York strips

[Agentorange]

Trying out my new Inkbird sous vide today for the first time. Which overall, I'm very impressed with. I had some New York strips preseasoned with Montreal steak sealed and in the freezer. I let them thaw overnight in the fridge. SV for 3 hours @ 128° and then seared on hot gas grill for a few minutes until 135-140° IT.
Steak turned out okay, not great. Not very juicy, could have used more seasoning. My 2 judges, wife and daughter, thought kinda 'rubbery'? Maybe it was the cut? My family prefers New York strips and, I always buy my steaks at Costco. What did I do wrong? Thinking I need to preseason differently.

 

[SmokingUPnorth]

Not much of a help here but my thing with the SV is if your doing the work to sear it on a grill then why not just throw it on for about 4 minutes per side to begin with and save yourself the 3 hours or so of using the SV…. I picked up the same inkbird SV a few years ago and haven’t used it yet no real reason why just haven’t m, I’m sure I will at some point though

 

[voyager 663rd]

To start: NO need to defrost. When packaging, season it then seal and freeze. Drop the frozen package in the water and wait a min of 2 hours and no more than 4.

NY strips despite the advertising is not a great cut. I prefer tenderloins but top sirloin is good too.

You do need to grill after SV though. Your temps are good but I would only grill enough to get some marks.

SO, I would SV at 130 then out of the package, DRY them off with a paper towel then on the grill ONLY to get grill marks and a bit of char. When mine come out of the water, they are almost the temp I want (med rare). Grill just "pretties them up" as they are gray when SV'd and grilling gives them those last few degrees to get to the eat stage..

You don't mention it but: no need to "rest" when done getting those grill marks.

 

[Wurstmeister]

Sorry to hear your NY strip came out rubbery. That's a real bummer, but it's usually a pretty easy fix. Here are the most common culprits:

1. Pre-Sous Vide Salting. The timing of when you salt your steak can influence its final texture. Extended Salting: Salting a steak long before it goes into the sous vide bath can have a curing effect, drawing out moisture and altering the protein structure. If left for an extended period, this can result in a firmer, almost ham-like texture that can be perceived as rubbery. For this reason, many chefs opt to salt just before bagging or even after the sous vide process, right before searing.​

2. Not Enough Time/Wrong Temp: A short cook time (like under 90 minutes) might not be long enough to really let the connective tissue and fat break down and get tender, even if the steak hits the right temp. For a good 1.5-2" NY strip, you're looking for at least 1.5 to 4 hours in the bath. A temp around 130-135°F is the sweet spot for medium-rare that also helps that fat render.
3. I perfer 3hrs @ 132°F with a 1 tbs of butter to add moisture and flavor.
4. The Fat Didn't Render: That big fat cap on a NY strip is delicious when it's soft, but it's pure rubber if it doesn't render. A slightly higher temp (like the 130-135°F mentioned above) helps a lot. You really need to pay attention to that fat during the sear, too.
5. The Sear is EVERYTHING: This is the big one. A steak out of the bag is gonna feel soft and weird. You have to finish it with a screaming hot sear.
   • Get it DRY: Pat it down with paper towels until it's bone dry. Wet steak steams, it doesn't sear.
   • Get it HOT: Use a cast iron or a grill that's ripping hot.
   • Sear it FAST: 45-60 seconds per side is all you need. The goal is a dark brown crust, not to cook the inside any more.

That crust gives you the texture contrast you need. Without it, the whole thing just feels uniformly soft, which the brain can read as "rubbery."

Check those three things on your next cook and you should be golden. Happy smoking (and sous viding)